PODCAST · business
The Experience Designers
by Steve Usher
Your front row seat to the world of experiences | Bi-weekly episodes
Episodes
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Abraham Burickson: Most of Our Problems Are World Building Problems
Experience designers know how to build worlds. Abraham Burickson believes it's time to point those tools at the real one, because the climate crisis, childhood anxiety, loneliness and broken education aren't technology problems or political problems. They're world-building problems. Abraham...
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Paul Nicholls: From Architecture to the Sphere, a BAFTA and the Future of Experiences
Recorded live at Ministry of Sound in London, this episode is in partnership with London Experience Week, and the studio is dressed by USED Creative, a circular Marketplace. Paul Nicholls is the BAFTA- and Sports Emmy-winning CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Factory Fifteen, the studio behind…
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Why Do People Do What They Do? Behavioural Science Meets the Experience Economy
Lea Karam is a behavioural scientist, Founder & CEO of Mindscope, and one of the most distinctive voices on human behaviour in the tech and entertainment industry. She has advised Google, TikTok, Snapchat, BBC iPlayer, ITV, and Pinterest. Lea turns the industry's assumptions on their head and...
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The Trust Gap: Why Experiences Are Failing The Modern Consumer
Recorded live at Ministry of Sound in London, this episode is in partnership with London Experience Week and the studio dressed by USED Creative., a circular Marketplace. Dr Amna Khan is a Senior Lecturer in Consumer Behaviour at Manchester Metropolitan University, a PhD researcher, and one of…
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Secret Cinema's Dean Rodgers on Creative Excellence, Grease Immersive & Why Playing It Safe Is the Biggest Mistake in the Future Experience Economy
Dean Rodgers is the Experiential Director at Secret Cinema, one of the world's most iconic immersive entertainment companies. With over a decade of building some of the UK's most beloved live experiences, including the Crystal Maze Live Experience, Time Run, and now Secret Cinema's ambitious…
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The Future of the Movie Experience: How Nexus Studios & Meta Built Something Completely New
What happens when cinema breaks free from the screen? In this episode, we sit down with Mike Anderson, award-winning director and creative at Nexus Studios, to explore one of the most fascinating shifts in modern storytelling: spatial cinema. Mike and his team partnered with Meta and Universal...
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The Atomic Unit of Immersive Experiences: Why Presence is Everything
In this episode, we sit down with immersive experience designer Frances Vieras Blanc in the heart of Paris to explore the "atomic unit" of human connection: presence. Dressed in Marie Antoinette-era attire to embody the power of anchoring and immersion (whilst in Paris!), Frances shares her…
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The Death of Vanilla: Why Physical Retail Experiences are Failing
We speak with retail experience expert Ghalia at 104.fr in Paris to explore the evolving landscape of physical commerce. As the pendulum swings back from ultra-digital to physical, Ghalia shares her deep insights into why brands must move beyond transactional efficiency to embrace "story living"....
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Inside The Traitors Live Experience: From TV Hit to Living World with Neil Connolly
A rare behind-the-scenes look inside The Traitors Live Experience in London. Creative Director Neil Connolly at Immersive Experience reveals what it really takes to turn a hit TV show into a living, breathing world, from designing a game with 475 possible outcomes, to building a four-storey...
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Donnacadh O'Briain: Why Immersive Theatre Is the Next Evolution of Organisational Training
What happens when leadership training stops being something you sit through and becomes something you step inside? In this episode, theatre director and experience designer Donnacadh O’Briain shares the story of a bold leadership programme that replaced slides, frameworks, and role-play with a...
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Inside Marshmallow Laser Feast: The artistry and science behind perception-shifting experiences
Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) is an experiential artist collective that believes in the power of storytelling to spark the senses and shift perception. Their work guides audiences through multisensory journeys where imagination and information collide. Bringing together coders, poets, chemists,...
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Ben Robinson: If climate facts don’t change us, what will? Are immersive experiences the answer?
In this conversation, Ben Robinson takes us on a journey from skateboarding in Liverpool and the golden age of UK clubbing, all the way into the cutting edge of immersive experience design and climate communication. Ben shares how those early subcultures. DIY, community-led, rebellious, and...
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Inside Frameless: The UK’s #1 Immersive Art Experience with Rosie O'Connor
We’re live at FRAMELESS, London’s #1 immersive art experience, for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how art, technology, and emotion converge. Host Steve Usher sits down with Rosie O’Connor, the art historian and curator behind this groundbreaking space, to uncover how timeless masterpieces...
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Food Anthropologist: The hidden power of taste & how it shapes our experience
What if the future of experience design starts not on a screen but on your tongue? In this episode, food anthropologist Caroline Hobkinson invites us into her London kitchen to explore the connection between taste, sound, and human emotion. Through a live sensory experiment, she reveals how our...
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Tim Hill - From Liverpool FC's Anfield to Berlin’s Techno Clubs. Why Rituals Matter!
Tim Hill shares his unique insights into the magic of live events and the communal experiences they create. Drawing from his ethnographic research at Liverpool FC's Anfield stadium and Berlin's underground techno clubs, he shares how rituals, community, and emotional connections shape…
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Sally Earnshaw - The experience of leading people in an uncertain world
Sally Earnshaw brings her trademark “oomph” to this high-energy conversation about leadership, life, and the messy, brilliant realities in between. From middle-aged business travel mishaps to the humor of raising teenagers while running a company, Sally grounds leadership in humanity and...
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Brian D’Souza on DJing, wellness, and the future of audio experiences
Brian D’Souza has spent his life exploring the power of sound—from late-night radio discoveries and Glasgow club culture to pioneering sound design for wellbeing, workplaces, and psychedelic therapy. In this episode, Brian shares how music and psychology came together in his work, from building...
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Nick Cawthon - Mobile first, agents next: The future of user experience
In this episode, we’re joined by Nick Cawthon, a design leader with decades of knowledge in user experience (UX), service design, and the evolving discipline of experience design. From his childhood discovery of creative flow to shaping the culture of UX in San Francisco, Nick reflects on the...
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Tom Middleton - From dance floors to deep rest: A journey of sound and healing
From his early fascination with synths and soundscapes to touring the world as a DJ, Tom Middleton has spent decades exploring the neuroscience and emotional power of music. In this conversation, Tom shares how his journey through burnout led him to pioneer “experience as medicine,” using sound...
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Jessica Weickert - The power of inscapism when crafting experiences
Jessica Weickert joins The Experience Designers to explore how emotional regulation, neuroscience, and story-living are reshaping the future of experiential design. Drawing from her personal journey with ADHD and her role at XDA, Jessica shares how neuroaesthetics is helping brands design...
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Colin Nightingale - Punchdrunk and beyond: Colin Nightingale on Art, Space, and Immersive
In this rare and deeply personal conversation, Colin Nightingale, Associate Artist at Punchdrunk and Co-founder of Right/Left Project, takes us on an immersive journey through his creative evolution. From his early days immersed in London’s underground music and DIY culture to co-shaping some of...
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James Warren - Empathy at Scale. The Future of Story-Driven Insights
In this episode of The Experience Designers, Steve is joined by James Warren, expert storyteller, experience strategist, and founder of Share More Stories to explore how storytelling unlocks deep human connection and business insight. Together, they unpack the true power of stories: as tools for...
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Laura Hess - 500 Experiences in 5 Years. A quest for the remarkable!
Join us as we talk with Laura Hess, who attended 500 experiences in 5 years, about building a 25-point “Remarkable” rubric for scoring immersive theatre, fine-art installations, XR activations, brand activations, and more.... Learn how intentionality, multi-sensory design, and post-show…
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Tom Hitch - Co-create or coerce? Why the best office experiences are built with their people
What makes a workplace worth the commute? In this episode, we sit down with workplace experience explorer and content creator Tom Hitch to uncover how the best office environments are co-created, not commanded. From sensory design to return-to-office (RTO) policies, Tom shares powerful insights...
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Pigalle Tavakkoli - What if emotion is the real design tool?
Steve sits down with experience-design pioneer Pigalle Tavakoli to explore what she calls "StoryFeeling". The shift from telling stories at people to orchestrating the feelings they live through. Building on her recent keynote at the London Experience Week and forthcoming book - The Building…
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Stefan Moritz - Are We Ready for Experiences Co-created with AI?
In this episode, we explore Stefan's career journey, sparked by an epiphany during a friend's 50th birthday in Italy. This experience led him to prioritize quality over quantity in his work. Stefan shares his approach to restructuring his workload by focusing on fewer projects, which fosters...
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Claus Raasted - Imagination is your most undervalued business tool!
What if life, work, and transformation were just better versions of play? In this episode, you’ll meet Claus Raasted, Experience Designer, Viking impersonator, and founder of The College of Extraordinary Experiences. From a childhood spent LARPing to advising McKinsey, Klaus shares how designing...
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Mat Duerden - Unlock the Experience Ladder. How to Elevate Experiences from Memorable to Transformative
Dive into a captivating discussion on experience design with Mat Duerden, Department Chair of Experience Design and Management in the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University and Co-Author of the book Experience Design. Reveals how intentional design can transform everyday moments...
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Dr Paul. Zak: Why Building Trust, Engagement & Emotional Fitness is the Key to Creating Unforgettable Experiences and Thriving Relationships—at Work, in Business, and in Life.
In this episode of The Experience Designers, I sit down with Dr. Paul Zak, the neuroscientist who wrote the book on trust and human connection. A TED speaker, best-selling author, and founder of Immersion Neuroscience, Paul has spent decades uncovering the brain’s hidden responses to experiences,...
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Goc O'Callaghan part 2 - The secrets and learnings from the dark side of Disney's magic
What if the magic behind your favourite experiences wasn't just a coincidence? In this second part two of this two-part series with Goc O'Callaghan, Co-owner of ArcTanGent Festival and Global Experience Lead at Buro Happold. In this episode, we peel back the curtain on the often-overlooked and...
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Goc O'Callaghan part 1 - Beyond the music: What festival design teaches us about crafting unforgettable experiences
We're taking you behind the scenes of an incredible journey, exploring the power of memorable experiences and the lessons we can learn from one of the major memory makers out there: music festivals. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Goc O'Callaghan, co-founder, owner, and festival director…
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Tina Squire - Through a neurodiverse lens: What happens when we design workplaces for every mind?
In this episode of The Experience Designers, we dive deep into the world of neurodiversity with Tina Squire, an expert in fostering neuro-inclusive environments. Tina shares her personal journey with ADHD and how it has fueled her passion for creating workspaces where neurodiverse individuals are...
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John Sills - Lessons from a broken-down train and why it became one of the best experiences ever?
In this episode, we’re joined by John Sills, managing partner at The Foundation and author of The Human Experience. John shares an incredible story of how a broken train in Switzerland became one of the most memorable customer experiences he’s ever had—and not because it went wrong, but because…
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Elena Aylott: Why Are Authentic Communities Essential at Work? Insights into Building Unstoppable Networks for Growth
In this episode, Elena Aylott shares her unique journey from executive assistant to Vice President of Global Communications and Employee Experience at Oriflame Cosmetics to founding her own company, The Aylott Group. She emphasizes the importance of trust, adaptability, and community-building...
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Mette Aagaard - Sharing leadership
We are used to leadership being hierarchical. Always talking about the tone from the top. But what happens when we share leadership and power throughout the organization? And challenge our current ways of working in the most profound ways? With Mette Aagaard we explore the benefits, guiding...
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Nele De Peuter - Vertical development. A path to meaningful growth.
We often talk about growth as some race to the top. A climb of the ladder, an improvement of our skills, but that narrative actually misses a core aspect of our evolution. Developing our ability to hold and make use of our new capacities. Nele is an organisational psychologist and coach who...
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Linda Jarnhamn - Sustainably human
Performance and productivity are two important words in today’s work environment. And also, two charged words, because - what do they actually mean? Many of us will have experienced some kind of arbitrary, unfair, strange administrative process that attempts to evaluate the work that we do. With...
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Laura & Sam - Lighting an EX fire in The British Red Cross
What does a humanitarian business such as the British Red Cross do to ensure they’re also human-centric on the inside when creating an experience for their people? Well, they commit to a dedicated people experience team and start their journey of introducing a way of working that puts the…
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Lieven van Linden - From body to mind - engineering human performance
The cognitive and rational mind dominates our conversation about performance in the workplace, but unlocking our full potential and abilities - and doing so sustainably over time - demands us to engage more than our brains. Only when we listen, learn to understand, and respond to the signals that...
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Malin Moezzi - Augmenting tech, data and human to create better interviews
The humble job interview. Did you know that the first offical job assessment was creating in 1921 by Thomas Edison who designed a written test to evaluate candidates' knowledge. Since then it’s safe to say, the interview has gone various developments. But at the core, it’s two humans coming...
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Eleni Jacobs - Building teams from scratch
What distinguishes a well-functioning team from a friction-ridden one? How do we know what to spend time on as we start building a team? And what do we need to take ownership of as leaders and co-workers? With Eleni Jacobs we break down the concept of psychological safety and look at the…
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Stephanie Robinson - Learning from moments of discomfort
When was the last time you felt discomfort? Did you notice how you reacted? Was it subtle shifts in your body? Or major knee-jerk! How did it feel? What level of discomfort was it? 1 out of 10? 10 out of 10? Regardless of the situation. What's clear is we have a reaction. Sometimes subtle, other...
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Andre Fangueiro - Making space and managing for design
Design is a buzzword for everything from products to customer- and employee experiences. But beyond that, it is a mindset and skill-set that requires dedicated practice both by individuals and organizations. With Andre Fangueiro we explore different facets of design, from individual behaviors to...
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Ian Golding - Connecting customer & employee experience
As employee experience continues to evolve from buzzword to creating impact inside of organizations. I was curious to explore the world of customer experience. How did they go from buzzword to a discipline, business function and career choice? What learnings can we leverage for the EX evolution?...
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Shani & Steve - 10 lessons from our first year in business together
In this special episode Shani and Steve look back on their first year of running Wonder together and what it means to do life and business in a more human way. They share 10 big lessons they’ve learnt over the course of the year and the different facets of more human. ★ Support this podcast on...
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Anamaria Dorgo - Building Community
In a quick-paced and demanding work environment, community is something many companies and individuals seek to build - to be less alone, to become more creative, to solve problems more effectively. With Anamaria Dorgo's unique voice and experience in community building, we explore what makes a…
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Theo Smith - Neurodiversity, Inclusion, and Empowerment
Theo Smith brings a unique lens to the workplace in the form of Neurodiversity. If you’re struggling to understand what this is or how it applies to your business - I promise you, it is relevant and already exists in your business. It’s just a matter of whether you understand it, are asking the...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Experience Designers have?
The Experience Designers currently has 91 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Experience Designers about?
Your front row seat to the world of experiences | Bi-weekly episodes
How often does The Experience Designers release new episodes?
The Experience Designers has 91 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Experience Designers?
You can listen to The Experience Designers on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Experience Designers?
The Experience Designers is created and hosted by Steve Usher.
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